Harry

I don’t like this idea.

I’m not saying my dad doesn’t have a point. I know that their pack is the only one left of the state for me to look for my mate. But I hate the idea that he could be from that pack, I really do.

Especially now with everything that has happened, I can't even begin to imagine the trauma or conflict that we'd have to surpass, depending on who it could be.

On the other hand, I can't exactly afford to be picky. My options are looking pretty slim at the moment. My mate wasn't among the graduating high school class. He also wasn't at the centenary festival, to the best of my knowledge.

Basically, my options consist of either my mate came to the festival and died or he is from a pack out of state.

The third option being the obvious: he is in fact from Regency Falls. Anyway, I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.

None of the options are amenable to me, so I guess I have to endure this trip. It's not like I'm going to have another opportunity to explore their territory…

My father is actually being very smart. You know what they say about making lemonade if life gives you lemons.

Truthfully, I hadn't even considered that my mate could be from their pack. It just never crossed my mind, though it probably should.

Good one, dad. You are a smart Alpha.

Speaking of which, there is a bigger conversation I am yet to have with my dad. It's not exactly a conversation I look forward to, nor have I ever thought he'd be having with me.

Unfortunately, we do need to discuss the pack's line of succession now that my brother was rendered incapacitated by the loss of his mate.

It's not that he can't be Alpha anymore, but without Jessica as Luna, he can't have children. Also, he is too broken up over her death and will probably take a long time to heal, if ever.

My brother knows he is the one who was supposed to die instead of her and the guilt is wrecking him. My poor sister in law didn't deserve that. I miss a lot of the people who died on the day of the centenary, but she is the one I miss the most.

"Good morning, son. Are you excited for your trip?" My dad asked me as I took my seat in the dining hall for breakfast.

"No. I wish I didn't have to go look at their murderous faces." I replied, sulking. I am not even going to pretend I’m not in a sour mood today, I am dreading this trip.

"You probably shouldn't call their Regent murderer when you get there." Mom smirked beside my dad at the table.

"Regent? Don't they have an Alpha?" I inquired, intrigued by this. I know what the term means, but I never heard of a wolf pack being led by one.

“When Alpha Barnett died, his eldest son was yet to discover his mate. So, their wolf council decided that he should be Regent of the pack until his brother comes of age. You know there can’t be an Alpha without a Luna.” Dad explained.

As he said that, my brother started to cry. It was heartbreaking to see. All of us tried to comfort him the best way we could, but his loss is as painful as you can imagine. If I have a tough time being mateless, at least I still have hope to find him. Being ripped away from one's mate at such a young age can be truly devastating.

“I’ve never heard of a pack being led by a Regent before. If he wasn’t a murderer, we could bond over our situation at least.” I said, relating to him.

“It’s not an ideal situation, but their hands were tied after his father’s untimely death.” Dad pondered, glancing at his son who was tearful.

“Tell him I regret it, okay? He didn’t need to kill my mate over it. I’d beg him on my knees if he could have spared her.” Aaron interjected, making us feel very uncomfortable at his outburst.

An awkward silence fell. We took our breakfast quietly until Beta Wilmont arrived.

“Good morning, everyone. Harry, are you good to go?” He greeted us, bowing his head to my dad.

“Yes, Beta. Just give me 5 minutes.” I replied, getting up from the table in a hurry.

Lucas Wilmont, my brother’s Beta, came to his side and hugged him. The two of them talked for a few minutes while I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. He feels horrible for my brother and his mate. The only reason why his family was spared is because they were on the stage with us, but he lost relatives too. After all, half the pack died.

The trip is short since their town is our neighbor. Normally, we’d be accompanied by several warriors to back us up on a journey like this, but this time we went alone. For one, we don’t have nearly enough numbers right now to take any sort of stand against them and their 150 warriors.

Basically, if they want to kill us upon our arrival there, they can. But my dad is counting on them wanting to maintain some sort of deniability. They are not going to murder us on their territory. Plus, they already won. What more could they want?

The only reason we are even going over there is to negotiate the terms of surrender. And by negotiating, I mean we’ll listen to what they demand and give in since we have no bargaining chip.

“Harry, please don’t call their Regent a murderer, we need to leave that place alive or our pack will crumble more than it already has.” Lucas warned me as he parked the car at the garage of their pack house.

“I know, Lucas. Come on, do you think I’m an idiot? I wasn’t the one who had the bright idea to kill his father in the first place.” I glared daggers at him, taking a dig at the attack that started it all.

“It wasn’t my idea either, but I follow orders.” He defended himself, annoyed at me.

A tall man in his early 40’s was standing there inside the garage to greet us. He is very well dressed and was accompanied by a boy I am familiar with. The guy is grimacing at our presence, but the older gentleman smiled courteously.

They both shared a clear resemblance that tells us they are father and son.

“Good morning, Beta Wilmont. Mr. Staedler. My name is Javier Carillon, I’m Beta of the Regency Falls pack. This is my son, Gustavo. I heard you two have already met before, right?” The man introduced himself and his son to us. Lucas and I shook their hands and exchanged polite smiles.

“Yes, I’ve met him before. His mate is my college roommate. Nice to see you again, Gustavo.” I faked a smile.

“Nice to see you two, Staedler.” He did the same, barely.

“Please follow me inside. I trust you two had a nice drive?” He gestured for us to walk with him inside the large house. It’s funny how we call this the pack house when we should be calling it the pack mansion. This place is huge, like our own.

“We did, Beta. It was a quick trip, taking us less than an hour.” Lucas replied in a seemingly good mood.

We walked inside and he directed us through a large corridor, leading up to the entrance hall.

“Harrison, my son is going to accompany you today and show you our humble town. Can I offer you something before you go, a juice or coffee?” Beta Carillon said, gently.

“No, thank you sir. I’d appreciate it if we could get a move on. I have no idea where to start. I don’t know if you are aware of why I came here.” I said, blushing a bit.

“I heard you came looking for your potential mate. I wish you the best of luck. My son is at your disposal.” He smiled at me, charmingly. His son didn’t look like he was at my disposal, but it is what it is.

“Thank you very much, sir. Shall we take your car or ours?” I turned to Gustavo, who couldn’t be bothered to fake a polite smile.

“Mine. It’s parked right at the front. Bye, dad.” He said, gesturing for me to step outside with him.

“See you later, Beta.” I said goodbye to Lucas.

“Regent Barnett is at the conference room waiting for you, Beta. I’ll take you there.” Javier told him, turning around and directing him towards it.

Gustavo and I walked outside and entered his car quietly.

“Just so you know, it wasn’t my idea coming here. I don’t want to be here any more than you do. But I couldn’t say no to my dad, plus this place is the only one I haven’t looked for my mate yet.” I told him, now that we were alone.

“I understand, Staedler. I can’t relate but I can understand. My best friend hasn't found his mate either and I can see the toll that it takes on him.” He spoke, surprising me with an empathizing tone.

“Thank you. Actually, I thought Grayson was going to meet me, not you.” I said, puzzled by this encounter.

“Landon tried, but he refused.” He rolled his eyes in annoyance. I get the sense that he didn’t like that decision very much.

“I see. Well, thanks for taking the time. Now if you can point me to the nearest unmated omega, I’d be very much appreciative”. I snickered, causing him to laugh.

“To be honest, I don’t know many unmated people in our pack within your mating range. But let’s go.” He said, smiling.

He started the car and drove me to the points where people our age hang out in town. He couldn’t exactly line them up and have me sniff them out, so he took me where the chances were higher.

We went to the park, the mall, a coffee shop downtown where he made me buy him a frappuccino. We took a few hours prancing around the small town, but no mate in sight.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know where else to take you. Maybe if we came on the fourth of July, I don’t know. It’s a weekday and some people are at home.” He explained with some remorse.

“It’s fine, Carillon. It was a long shot anyway. You can take me back to the pack house now.” I conceded, sorrowful. I had some hope that my mate was here, not gonna lie. But hope is all I have right now.

He drove me back silently as my eyes were misty. I keep getting my hopes up only to have them shot down again and again.

“They’re expecting us for lunch. Is that okay?” Gustavo asked me in a gentle tone, noticing my sad state.

“Sure. I wouldn’t want to be discourteous. It’s past noon, so I could definitely eat.” I agreed, knowing full well it’s not about me.

We entered the pack house and the Betas came to meet us.

“How was your day, Harrison? I trust my son took care of you properly.” Javier inquired, getting closer to us with Lucas by his side.

“He did, Beta. I really appreciate it. I’m starting to think the Goddess forgot to pair me.” I said, sounding broken. I don’t want to show vulnerability, but I’m at a loss right now. I don’t know where else to look for him.

“She did not forget to pair you, Harrison. Have faith. You’re still young. Our Regent is older than you and he’s still unmated.” He argued in a soothing tone.

“Please call me Harry, sir.” I said, offering him a weak smile.

“I’m sorry, Harry. For a moment, I thought it was a stroke of genius of your father to send you here with me. I actually thought your mate really was here.” Lucas spoke, feeling sorry for me.

“Thank you, Beta. I thought so too, to be honest. But it’s fine.” I tried my best to not bring the mood down, but I’m heartbroken.

“Let’s eat. Everything gets better after a full meal.” Javier suggested, directing us towards the dining hall.

“I hope the negotiations went well.” I glanced at Lucas expectantly.

“It was agreeable.” He replied in a dry tone. I could tell he wasn’t in the mood to talk about it further.

We entered the dining hall to find a woman and two children with her.

“May I present to you, Luna Felicia Barnett. These are her children.” Javier introduced us to an asian woman, smiling at us politely. She was well dressed too.

“It’s nice to meet you, Luna. I’m Harry Staedler and this is Lucas Wilmont.” I greeted her, cordially.

Lucas greeted her and we exchanged pleasantries with the children as well.

“Welcome to Regency Falls. I trust you had a pleasant visit.” She smiled politely.

“We did, ma’am. Thank you for your hospitality. Where’s the Regent? Is he not joining us for lunch?” Lucas asked her, curious.

“He will. He just had to step into his office for a minute, but he’ll be right back.” She replied, smiling cordially at us.

We took our seats at the large table. I couldn’t help but notice the warriors stationed all over the place. I don’t know what they were expecting, but I’m pretty sure neither of us would be stupid enough to do anything that would get us both killed.

“You have a very nice house, Luna.” I complimented her.

“Thank you, Harry. I had it entirely redecorated when I ascended as Luna. Now I’m waiting for my son’s mate to show up wanting to do the same.” She said, glancing at her teenage boy.

“I’m not sure she can do it better than you, ma’am.” I argued, getting a smile from her.

“You’re very charming, Harry. Thank you for the compliment.” She smiled, gracefully.

Suddenly, my wolf gets restless inside my chest. My features change drastically and I look at the door instinctively.

“Are you okay, Harry?” Lucas asked me, concerned.

“I’m fine. My wolf is howling inside my chest. It feels like I’m…”

I’m interrupted by my eyes shining the brightest they ever shone. This startled those who were present who didn’t know what was happening. But as soon as another boy appeared at the door with equally shining eyes, it all became clear.

I stood up from my chair and stared at the hottest boy I’ve ever seen in my life, filling up his suit in all the right ways.

“MATE.” He declared in a deep, husky tone.

I’m mesmerized by him, honestly. That is until I realized who he was.

“MATE.” I repeated back to him, gobsmacked.

“Oh my Goddess!” Luna Felicia gasped in shock. Everyone was shocked by this, from the children to Gustavo. They all kept staring at us, glowing our eyes at each other for a minute.

“I don’t understand. I can’t be your mate, I’m not an omega.” I mumbled after a while, stunned by the shocking revelation.

“I’m just as shocked as you are.” He muttered, wide eyed.

“Oh my Goddess, you found your mate!” Gustavo got up from his seat to hug him, ecstatic.

“There’s gotta be something wrong, I can’t be your mate. I can’t be an Alpha’s mate.” I reiterated, impossibly shocked. I couldn’t bring myself to believe this.

Gustavo hugged his very perplexed friend, who barely reacted.

“Just the other day I said you couldn’t be my mate.” He looked beyond baffled, though not nearly as much as I am.

“I can’t believe this! Out of all the people I could be mated to…” I mumbled, almost numb. I can’t wrap my head around this.

“Congratulations, son. All this time and your mate was right next door.” Luna smiled at him.

The maid showed up serving the hot food, so we sat back down. I’m still reeling from the shock, but it smells delicious and I’m hungry.

We served ourselves some delicious meat, cooked vegetables and rice. I filled my plate as my mate stared at me, almost incredulously.

“I bet right now you’re regretting that time I asked you to come with me to Houston. You could have been mated a year ago.” Gustavo teased his friend.

“Too soon, Stavo.” He glared at him.

“Gray is gonna freak out when he hears about this.” Gustavo commented, sounding excited.

“I still can’t believe I’m mated to someone from this pack.” I muttered under my breath, trying to make sense of it.

“Maybe it was the only way the Goddess saw fit to end the animosity between our two packs.” Lucas opined.

“If she wanted that, she should have made us discover each other before all the killing.” I said, getting wide eyed stares from everyone.